I love a quick and easy cake that comes together quickly and is very low stress or low maintenance but tastes fantastic. Can you get all that in a cake? Absolutely! Snack cakes make that happen. They usually require just a bowl and whisk to make them with, regular pantry ingredients, and are always delicious. It’s a great cake to make if your a beginner when it comes to baking but also great for someone who loves to bake but doesn’t have the time to spend a full day in the kitchen baking.

My hubby loves spiced cakes and cookies so Im always keeping my eyes pealed for new recipes for spiced things. I came across one recipe that I really liked from Fine cooking with a streusel topping and what really peaked my curiosity was that it was made with sweet potatoes. I love sweet potatoes and I always have them around and knew I had to try it! I wanted to spice it up a bit further so I changed the spices up a little bit and added slightly more as I wasn’t making the streusel with it which packed a lot of extra spice on it. I also chose to add the chocolate and pecans to the recipe. I decided to frost the cake instead as I came across a caramel frosting that I thought would be perfect with it from NYT cooking. The frosting on their site was paired with and apple spiced cake and I thought naturally it would be great with this one too.

They were all very good choices. And now you know the process of my recipe development. The cake actually came from three different recipes and I used 2 different recipes to guide me with the caramel frosting. The reason being is that the original one called for melting caramel candies. I thought it was just easier to use store bought sauce or just use some homemade sauce that I had leftover from another recipe. Please look up the recipe on NYT cooking for the caramel candy version if you would prefer that one. They didn’t have a conversion ratio for the amount of caramel sauce you would yield with the candy so I used another recipe to guide the amount of sauce to use that is why I put ¼ cup to a &frac13;. Between those to measures is perfectly fine without influencing the thickness of the frosting. It’s a lot of work this recipe development thing ya know - but it is fun and my family loves it cause they get to taste everything along the way.

I tested this recipe and brought it to a friend’s gathering and it was well received and loved by all and so that made the recipe a win and landed itself a place on the blog. I know for sure that you will love it too. I’m also pretty sure you might have some sweet potatoes around that you are dying to throw into a cake so this cake is just begging to be made. You will thank me later and this is a frosting you will definitely be using on other cakes and cupcakes - at least know I will be.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F

Lightly oil and flour a 8 or 9-inch-square baking pan; tap out excess flour. Or alternatively line your baking pan with parchment paper going across both lengths of pan (2 pieces) making it easier to lift out of pan and transfer.

In a medium bowl whisk together the oil, brown sugar, and eggs and, stir until the mixture is smooth and the sugar begins to dissolve, 30 to 60 seconds. If the sugar forms lumps, break them up with your fingers.

In a separate bowl wish together the flour and baking soda and then sift it onto the batter.

Using a whisk or rubber spatula, combine the ingredients until well blended and almost smooth.

Stir in the toasted pecans and chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly with the spatula and bake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out with only moist crumbs clinging to it, about 45 min.

Set the pan on a rack to cool for 15 min. Run a knife around the edge of the pan. Let cool completely before frosting and then cut into squares and serve from the pan, or wrap well in plastic and refrigerate if making ahead and frost just before serving.

Make the frosting

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. (A handheld mixer is fine to use as well)

Add the caramel and mix on medium speed until incorporated. Scrape the bowl well.

Add the cream and vanilla and mix to combine. The frosting should be smooth and very soft.

Scoop the frosting onto the cooled cake, and spread into an even layer.

Garnish with flaky salt just before serving.

Recipe Notes

To bake potatoes bake on baking sheet at 400°F for 1 hour. Potatoes should be soft and fragrant. Set aside to cool.

Homemade salted caramel

(makes 2 cups)

Ingredients

1 cup (250 ml) Heavy cream

50 g unsalted butter

1½ cups white sugar

½ cup water

1 tsp sea salt flakes

Directions

Place the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Place the sugar and water in a medium saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved.

Place a sugar thermometer in the pan increase the heat to high.

Bring to the boil and cook for 10–12 minutes, without stirring, or until the temperature reaches 150°C and the mixture is a deep caramel colour.

Remove from the heat and working quickly, add the salt and cream and butter mixture and whisk to combine.

Return to the heat and cook for a further 2 minutes or until thickened slightly.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely before serving. Makes 2 cups.